Bamboo Styles

We’ve been really interested in the whole concept of social entrepreneurship here at Bamboo Styles.   We are happy to say the topic has hijacked several of our meetings.  We like to think that we are providing clothing for individuals pursuing careers in social ventures.  They seem to be the ones who flock towards socially aware products.  I reached another level of intrigue when I went to hear Maria Teresa Leal speak at the Ross School of Business at U of M.  It was fascinating to hear what this woman has achieved in Brazil through an apparel design and production co-op called Coopa Roca.  Not only has she created sustainable labor for the 120 artisans she works with, they are intricately involved in the creative process.  At their core, these businesses are not only providing employment, but they are restoring dignity to those with skill who have until now lacked an outlet.

Brittany Moore is a regular contributor to the Bamboo Styles blog and also functions as VP of Business Development.  She has an AFA in Fashion Design and Marketing from IADT-Detroit and resides in metro Detroit.
    

I’ve been Googling and librarying for hours, hours and hours to get you the down low on bamboo.  So here it is.  I hope someone reads something in here that helps him/her win the daily double on Jeopardy…

Bamboo has been central to the Asian way of life for literally thousands and thousands of years.  It has been used for medicinal purposes mostly having to do with asthma and respiratory problems.  And for all you struggling mothers out there, it has at some juncture in time, helped promote lactation.  Talk to you doctors. (*The FDA does not approve any of these statements, at all).  Bamboo has been used to create paper, materials needing for construction and architecture.  Check out this scaffolding!

Bamboo furniture, bedding, wood flooring, molding and all other kinds of home décor items have made their way into our homes.  Australia has blessed our world with the Didgeridoo thanks to bamboo’s existence.  It has taken on culinary forms, none that I have personally tried, but bamboo soaked in coconut milk sounds like a pretty sweet treat.  Here’s a recipe for Bamboo Shoot Fry if you feel so inclined. http://www.surfindia.com/recipes/bamboo-shoot-fry.html
 

To continue on with the list…we’ve got tattoo needles, beer, the ancient equivalent to Tupperware, landscaping, cages, fences, sandals, hats, boats, planes, books, tobacco pipes, back scratchers, fans, baskets and the ever necessary shoe horn.  To end our long but incomplete list here is this cool bike.

Way cooler than my vintage Schwinn handed down from my dad.  The list could go on and on, but we’ve got to stop somewhere.  Bamboo definitely lives up to its name as the “plant of a thousand uses.”    So it’s fun to know all those trivial facts about this giant grass that we utilize for so many different things, but for the sake of truly helpful knowledge let’s discuss why bamboo is such a significant resource.  Unlike the other hardwoods we use for flooring, construction, etc that take 20 years or more to harvest, bamboo takes a mere 3 to 5 years to reach it’s harvesting state.  It is one of the most renewable resources on the earth growing at varying speeds but some as fast as 47.6 inches in just one 24-hour period.  It is the fastest growing planet in the world.  And to my surprise it’s not only grown in China, AKA the Kingdom of Bamboo (labeled this because it’s home to more than 400 species).  We have bamboo growing right here in America including Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.  I’ve heard of some hardy species being grown in the Northwest as well.  The reason why environmentalists have taken a liking to this king-sized grass is because as previously mentioned, it’s highly sustainable growing as it does, but it also requires very small amounts of chemical processing to make the fibers for clothing and other uses.  In a utopian society it wouldn’t take any, but it’s a step forward from highly processed cotton that takes more plant for less content. (FYI- Bamboo Styles isn’t hating on cotton, we sell items with organic cotton in them). Bamboo also has antibacterial qualities that put it ahead of the curve in fabric technology.  It naturally wicks moisture instead of absorbing it like cotton and other fabrics.  According to www.fuzing.com, seventy-five percent of bacteria will be killed after 24 hours in a bamboo fiber; the National Textile Inspection Association has proved this.  These properties still remain even after 50 washings.  Bamboo is a great option for all you sweaters and outdoor enthusiasts.  Travelers too!  Bamboo hardly wrinkles (depending on it’s blend with other fibers).  That means light packing that requires less washing.
 In the big scheme of things bamboo has stood the test of time as one of the most useful resources in the world.  There maybe arguments against it which we will gladly listen to, but we are definitely proudly for bamboo.  Now I’m going to go find a DIY on how to make a didgeridoo…  

Brittany Moore is a regular contributor to the Bamboo Styles blog and also functions as VP of Business Development.  She has an AFA in Fashion Design and Marketing from IADT-Detroit and resides in metro Detroit.
               

We’re coming to realize more and more that there’s a new set of standards being set in the fashion industry.  Standards of ethics, workers rights, environmental awareness; these standards will continue to gain popularity as conscious consumerism sweeps across the country (and hopefully the globe!).  For those like yourself, who take stock of their impact of the earth, wonder whose hands made their clothing and understand the times and decide to do something about it, you’re the pioneers.   There’s no doubt that we’re watching the face of consumerism change, not only as it slowly turns towards better practices, but also as the Internet has come into the picture.  To you reading this, it’s probably old news.  If you’re shopping for bamboo clothing on the Internet you’ve just proven the point!

We’re not hear to blow the environmentalist horn or be martyrs for some esoteric cause, actually if anything we’re pretty anti-esotericism when it comes to the world and the ethics of its commerce. Everyone should be informed.  It’s time to make the ethical way the only way and that doesn’t mean everyone joins a cause, it means everyone keeps living their normal lives, buying the normal things they wish to own with the subtlety of informed minds driving their purchasing power.  How simple!  Well, the principle is simple, but the lifestyle may prove to be a bit of a challenge due to the lack of businesses providing those kinds of goods.  But we hope we’ve made it a little easier for you to buy something you’re proud to own.  We’re on that same hunt—trying to surround ourselves with the necessary and not so necessary materials of life with out the haunt of those nagging questions…who made this, and where, and how?  So, happy hunting!  And keep checking back to see what we’ve got up our sleeve in 2008!!

Brittany Moore is a regular contributor to the Bamboo Styles blog and also functions as VP of Business Development.  She has an AFA in Fashion Design and Marketing from IADT-Detroit and resides in metro Detroit.